11 - The Stubborn Watcher

Lena Dravenhart.

A young princess of a small kingdom under the Rakon Empire's rule.

She has sky-blue hair and eyes that shimmer with intelligence and resolve. Her fair skin and simple, elegant attire reflect her hardworking nature and quiet strength.

In the game, Lena became a powerful mage and elevated her kingdom's reputation.

She was a key character who helped Leon from the sidelines and, ultimately, had a route where she became his romantic partner.

And now...

"Hey, I'm talking to you."

Lena stands in front of me, glaring.

'What a way to meet her, huh.'

I thought.

Then looking at her...

I squirmed my face, not hiding my unwantedness to engage in conversation with her.

And seeing my reaction...

"Wha..."

Lena stammers.

"The nerve of this guy!"

She exclaimed, her face turning red.

"Blah blah blah—!"

Then she goes off, listing reasons why I shouldn't be the one feeling annoyed here.

"..."

I'm not listening to a word she's saying, though.

"Duh duh duh duh duh—!"

'Ugh, how did things turn out like this...?'

I was just on my way to the usual corner on the library's second floor, where I could read in silence.

When I ran into Lena...

Naturally, I tried to avoid her, but she noticed me and immediately confronted me!

Basically, she suspects that I'm here to do something shady and stupid...

"Hey, are you listening?"

Lena asked, realizing I'm not paying her any attention.

And in her question, I just shook my head.

"Tsk."

She clicked her tongue, visually annoyed.

"If you're planning on something stupid, I'm warning you to stop right now."

She threatened me.

Lena stared at me, challenging me with her gaze.

And for once, I looked at her seriously.

"Haaah..."

I sighed in resignation.

'Looks like ignoring her wouldn't make her stop bothering me.'

I realized.

So before she can start talking again...

"I'm here to study."

I answered her question to why I am here.

And obviously...

"Liar!"

She didn't believe me.

Why would she?

Lena is one of the many who hates Raye, after all.

I mean, she has every reason to hate Raye...

She works hard to succeed, while Raye just cheats and gets higher scores than her on exams.

To her, Raye is just a scum cheater who tramples on people's hard work—a villain.

Well, whatever...

"I don't care if you believe me or not. Just leave me alone."

I said, frowning.

"Wha..."

Lena was speechless.

And before she could say anything else...

"Excuse me."

I walked past her and sat on my usual spot, opening the book I brought along.

"..."

Lena just stared at me as I did those.

She approached me again...

"I'll be keeping an eye on you."

Then she declared, leaning forward, eyes narrowed with determination.

"Sure, whatever."

I casually responded, without even looking up.

"Hmph! I wasn't asking for permission."

She sat across from me, just watching me weirdly.

"..."

I ignored her, immersing myself in the book.

...

*****

(Lena's POV)

Five hours...

"..."

I've been watching Raye for over five hours now...

And he hasn't done a single suspicious thing!

He's just sitting there, reading!

He looks so absorbed in his book that he's probably even forgotten I'm here!

This scene...

"..."

It makes me frown in confusion.

'Is he seriously just here to study?'

But that's impossible, this is Raye we're talking about...

A spoiled young master who only knows how to sabotage others and cheat, someone who relies solely on his family's authority!

But watching him now...

"Gugh..."

I can't deny that he's putting in a real effort to study.

He seems genuinely interested in those magic theories he's reading.

So this led me to ask a question...

I know for a fact that Raye cheated on the exams.

'But are the other rumors about him really true?'

Is there a chance that they're exaggerated?

Is there another side to Raye's actions?

'Aren't I just taking everyone else's word without really knowing him?'

This is the first time I've been this close to Raye, the first time I've watched him this closely.

And from what I'm seeing...

'He's diligent.'

At least, in his studies.

I was so bored watching him earlier that I went around and asked students about him.

They told me Raye has been coming to the library every day for the past two weeks without missing a single day and stays until everyone else leaves.

If that's not diligence, I don't know what is.

'I still hate him, though.'

He still cheated on the exams.

Just then...

"Hmm?"

Raye stopped reading.

"Oh, you're still here."

He said, looking at me.

'See, he forgot about me!'

I exclaimed in my head.

"You don't have to worry anymore. I'm about to leave."

He stands up and starts returning his books to the shelves. Meanwhile, I just sat there, watching him do that.

As he does...

"I heard you got kicked out of your family."

I brought up the news I heard about him. This news is widely spread among the students.

"Yeah, sucks, right?"

Raye immediately responded, totally unbothered.

'Basing from the rumors, he would've flipped out at me for bringing that up.'

But he doesn't seem to care at all about being disowned.

'So maybe the rumor that he's completely dependent on his family... is false?'

I thought.

"I heard you even got kicked out of the Amaya Dormitory. How are you getting by?"

I asked him another question.

This time, Raye stopped and looked at me...

"Well, I'm doing everything I can to survive, not like I have a choice."

Then he answered...

"..."

I was speechless, I don't know how to respond to his answer.

Raye finished returning the books to their shelves.

"Well, that's done. I'm leaving."

And he immediately left after saying that.

And there, I was left alone.

Questioning what type of person Raye actually is...

...

*****

(Raye's POV)

"Phew, finally escaped from her."

I muttered as soon as I stepped outside the library.

Lena has a stubborn personality, once she sets her mind on something, she's relentless.

That's why I decided to let her do as she pleased, answering her questions as long as she didn't disrupt me too much.

I didn't converse with her that much, so hopefully, she already lost interest in me.

Anyway...

I left the library earlier today because I plan to buy everything I need to repair the cabin.

But I don't know where to find everything or how much it'll cost, so I plan to ask Kyle for help.

Since he hired people to fix his stall, he probably knows more about this than I do.

So with that in mind, I headed to where Kyle is.

*****

After meeting with Kyle, I explained my plan to renovate the cabin I was staying at.

Thankfully, he knows a lot of things that can help me!

He gave me tips on how to avoid getting swindled, where to find quality tools at fair prices, and even a suggestion for hiring construction workers if I ever need them!

"Thanks, Kyle."

"You're welcome!"

So after thanking him.

I parted ways with him to buy everything I needed.

...

...

A couple of hours later...

I already got a saw, a hammer, and a bunch of nails.

I also ordered wooden planks and other materials that I think I'll need.

The supplier told me they'll deliver everything by carriage once I give them the location. For a fee, of course.

But this is much better than me transporting everything by foot.

So I gave them directions to the cabin, and after taking care of everything...

"Time to go back, the old man is probably waiting."

I headed back.

...

After that, my night unfolded just like all the others.

I ate dinner with the old man and practiced some spells.

Then I went to bed when my mana was near exhaustion.

And with that...

My 13th day in this world ended peacefully(?).